The Diamond Dust on Dragonfly Wings: A Jeffry Claxton Mystery Novel

by Michael Yudov

  “Evie, it’s all right. He asked for exactly what he got, and he’ll be fine. I have to say, though, I’m not very impressed. I’ve met a lot of ‘Mr. Smiths’ in my day, and they used to be trained, and they knew what was going down in their neighbourhood. I’m just doing my job here, and if the Colonel wants me off the case, I’m gone. It’s as simple as that. But if I were you, I wouldn’t rely on this guy for anything more than occasional diplomatic immunity, which we could get far easier from the Canadian team in Zurich. There is one you know, and it’s larger and more organized than the American team.” Westwood gave Godsen a quick glance, then turned back to me with a nod of her head, like ‘message received and understood’.

  I turned back to Godsen. “As for my manners Colonel, I do apologize, but rule one is keep your cool. Without that you can’t think. When you can’t think, they’ve got you.”

  I walked over to the coffee table and picked my guns out of the sack we’d been given for our belongings and holstered them both. I pulled my transceiver unit out of my pocket, and holding it up for all to see, I carefully made a show of turning it off after picking it up and quietly held it up while doing a 360 of the room. Therese still had all of her stuff. ‘Smith’ had cleared us before they got to her. I motioned to Therese to come with me, and she rose from the sofa without question. I took her unit out from behind the collar of her coat and did the same thing. Westwood gave me a funny look, and then looked at Godsen, who just kept looking at ‘Smith’.

  I spoke directly to Westwood.

  “Stay here with…” I pointed at the Colonel, “and deal with …” I jerked my thumb in the general direction of ‘Smith’, “our mutual friend here. I don’t want to talk to him, you can make that clear for me, Okay? Get free and ready to roll within ten minutes, then you two come on over to my suite. I’ll have Romero ready to help with the luggage. He’s the one who brought the drinks, and he’s completely trustworthy. We’ll be waiting, and…” I gave Westwood a direct look and held up my comm unit. She nodded back that she understood.

  Therese dropped in step right behind me as we left the room. ‘Smith’ had managed to make his way into the washroom next to the entrance, shutting the door behind him. We left the suite without further incident.

  I got us into our suite right away, and started packing my bag. Therese watched me from the doorway to my bedroom for about two or three minutes, saying nothing, but I could read it all on the expression on her face. There was time enough to help a little right now, and I’d make sure I had more time for her later, when she’d need it even more.

  I stopped what I was doing and walked over to her, and held out my arms. She was wrapped around me in a flash. Her body started shaking all over, tiny vibrations, like when you get a chill that won’t go away, and her heart was pounding like a jack-hammer. I put one arm around her shoulders, and lightly stroked her hair with my right hand. Her head was laid against the left side of my chest, facing my neck. There wasn’t anything to be said. Not yet. For now, the physical reassurance was enough. After she had calmed down, and her heart rate had returned to somewhere near normal, I gently pushed her away from me, holding her at arm’s length.

  “You have to get ready now, honey. We’re going to be moving to a safer place.” She looked at me and the tears slowly rolled down her face. “I promise that I won’t let anything happen to you, or Ted if we can find him. Do you believe me?” I stared into her eyes, searching for the truth. I found it, and then I knew she was going to be alright. She nodded her head a couple of times, and sniffed turning away to get her stuff together.

  Ten minutes later I was changed into jeans and a black turtleneck, my grey flannels and blazer having been roughed up slightly when the action went down, with Nike AirMax sneakers on, packed and ready, sitting on a chair against the far wall in the living room. If anyone came in the door, the first thing they’d be looking at would be me. Both .45’s had had their rounds topped off, and the front door to the suite wasn’t locked. If the wrong person came through that door before I checked out, I’d most likely shoot them. If I hadn’t taken it very seriously before getting on that plane in Toronto, there was no doubt whatsoever in my mind that I was taking it seriously now. The bad guys would know that too, at some point today. I had a strong feeling that they knew already.

  Therese came out of her room, essentially looking the same as she had a few minutes ago, but with her makeup removed. Smart girl. It’s a lot faster to take it off than it is to redo it. She looked at me for direction, and I pointed at the sofa along the left wall. She sat down and crossed her legs underneath her, one of those girl things that I never have figured out. If I had done that to myself I would be walking with a limp for a couple of days. Men seeking the ANSWER to all things in life trained for years in India and Tibet, and so on, and the hard first step was always the same. Learning how to position your body in ways that were never intended by Mother Nature. I felt that if the women of the world could do it so easily, then the seeking of TRUTH for men must lay in other directions. For me, just about any other direction would do.

  We didn’t have long to wait before there was a knock on the door. I casually pulled the H&K from my right side holster and activating the laser targeting system, put the dot just above the doorframe, then I called out, “It’s open.”

  Westwood opened the door about a third of the way before she froze. No slouch, that kid. I hoped that she made it through the experience-gathering phase of her work in one piece. Once she’d learned a lesson, I didn’t think she’d be likely to forget it, and she had good instincts. Her eye was on the H&K, and she was waiting for further instruction, or further action, whichever came first.

  “Hi there Evie. You made good time.”

  She held her position as she responded. “Yeah, the traffic was light.”

  “What’s the password, Evie?” She didn’t even blink before responding.

  “Whatever you want it to be, Jeffry.”

  If there had been trouble behind her, she would have given me some bogus password, thereby tipping me off. I had hoped. I holstered the gun and waved her in. She finished her interrupted motion and opened the door wide holding it for Godsen, who was right behind her, and Romero, who was at the rear with a luggage cart.

  “Ladies, please make yourselves comfortable for a bit. Romero, leave the luggage cart at the door to the first bedroom, then come over here.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr. Claxton.” He did as I had said, and when he approached I pulled a one hundred Franc note from my jeans pocket. Because he knew me and my tipping habits, his eyes lit up, but he was biting his lip at the same time.

  ”Oh, please Mr. Claxton, I can’t accept that much money, and I have no change for one hundred Francs.”

  “I don’t want any change Romero. I want you to wait in the hall for about fifteen minutes or so, then we’ll all be leaving. I’ll call downstairs and let them know that you’re busy working for me for the next hour. That will give us time to leave, and you’ll get a short break afterwards, Okay?”

  He shyly accepted the one hundred francs note. “Yes, sir, Mr. Claxton.” He headed for the front door.

  “Oh, Romero?”

  He turned around quickly and waited for instructions.

  “If anybody gets off the elevator on this floor, knock twice on the door right away and head for the stairs at the other end of the hall. Get back downstairs as quickly as you can, and then call me on the telephone, but don’t say anything, and then hang up when I say ‘goodbye’, Okay?”

  He smiled again. “Yes, sir.” Out the door he went.

  “Evie, you’re on door duty. It wouldn’t hurt to check the view from the bedroom window once or twice either.” She didn’t miss a beat.

  “You got it.” She was wearing a pale blue silk blouse, loose, not tucked in, along with jeans and sneakers. The blouse was long enough and loose enough to hide her hardware, which was sure she was wearing after the morning’s debacle. She headed for the bedroom t
hat had been Therese’s, because it had a corner view. She would turn out to be good, really good, if we could get her home from this one in one piece.

  Speaking to the room in general, I apologized for the delay and then set up my HP200 LX Palmtop PC on the arm of the chair I was sitting in. I connected it to my cellular phone, both of which I had taken from Therese’s purse, where she’d had the presence of mind to put them when the action started.

  I logged on to my Internet Account, and checked my mail. Sure enough, Walter had come through with a preliminary report already. I downloaded the file to the memory card, and logged off the net, and disconnected my cellular card modem. Evie had watched the proceedings with interest on her way back to the door area after doing a once-over of the street from the bedroom, while Godsen vacillated between anger and confusion, both of which were side-effects of shock brought on by this morning’s kidnap attempt.

  I spent the next few minutes decompressing and running the decryption key on the file. What he had come up with so far was more than Godsen’s people had been able to accomplish with a budget of time and money that far exceeded Walter’s. By a country mile.

  So much more that the good Colonel and I were going to have to sit down and talk about staffing back at the ranch. The best part was that Walter was planning to deliver a lot more before his twenty-four hours ran out. This didn’t look very good for Godsen. In fact, this information, coming on the heels of this morning’s action, made it look very much like there was a person or persons unknown in her department, in a position high enough to influence these proceedings that was working directly against her goals. This was going to let some wind out of her sails for sure. I would have the unenviable job of refilling them, so that she could, and would, work at the level she was capable of. Swell.

  I picked up my cellular again and made a local call, pacing back and forth in front of the drawn drapes of the street-side windows as I spoke. The conversation was quite short.

  “Hello, may I speak with Norman Greenbaum please?”

  “I’m sorry, he’s no longer available. Will another salesman be of any help?”

  “Yes, in that case I’d like to speak with Lee Michaels, if I may.”

  “Certainly, sir. I’ll see if he’s free. One moment please.” Immediately a new voice came on the line. One that I recognized. I’d never seen his face, but I knew the voice. That was a good sign.

  “Lee Michaels here, how can I help you?”

  “Gone are the walls of deception, and Lazarus sees all. Transport four, plus rain.”

  “Please hold.” The codes I’d used were hopelessly out of date, but they had been valid at one time. It was quite simple. I was Lazarus. That line had been the last valid code for the agent known as Lazarus. The only thing they needed to know was if I was Lazarus. As for the rest of it, it spoke for itself. I needed a car that would hold four adults, and a safe haven to take them to. There was a ten second delay while they ran my voice through computer analysis for verification. The first stage went smoothly.

  “Be at the Bahnhof in thirty minutes. Buy tickets to Berne, and get on the train. The next one leaves in… forty-four minutes.” I checked my watch at the same time he was checking the train schedules.

  “Yes, just.” Meaning I could make it.

  “Good. Wait for contact.” Then I was listening to dead air.

  The cellular went back into my pocket, and I turned to face the room.

  Godsen had seemed to settle down somewhat, and was keeping her thoughts to herself for a change. Therese was curled up on the sofa, and all that was missing from that picture was a teddy bear in her arms.

  Westwood had taken out an H&K and was pacing through her lookout pattern. She had caught on quicker than Godsen. Maybe that’s why she was with her. Not only was she willing to take a bullet for the Colonel, she was turning out to be pretty good at this herself. She thought ahead. At least a little. I hadn’t asked her to get ready to shoot someone on a split-second notice. But it appeared that she was. I addressed the gang.

  “Everybody stay put for a minute or two more.” I didn’t wait for agreement. They had already accepted that I had taken over. For this stage, at least. Then a minor item to be handled prior to leaving.

  “Ronnie, use the room phone next to you on the desk and call the bank. Make your apologies for being tardy. Use any excuse you like, then reschedule the meeting for just before closing today. Don’t let him have even a fragment of an option to change the time or the place for the meeting. You’re in control, not the bank manager. He’s not doing this out of the goodness of his heart, remember. Swiss bankers don’t have one. He’s doing it because he’s been pressured from high enough above his position in life that he has no choice. How he reacts when the meeting takes place is another kettle of fish altogether. So be firm and business-like, but be polite, and apologize for the inconvenience, if any. From his perspective, if you had changed your mind and hopped a jet to Paris instead he’d be quite happy. Make it short, one minute tops, and you’re off the line. Don’t give away anything. Information is power, and you and I will have a discussion about that very issue later today. Do it.”

  I had been making my way to the door to the suite as I talked, and now I could reach out and grab the door handle. Westwood was just about to make another tour of the window view from the bedrooms, and I held up my hand and waved her over to me.

  “What’s the street like?” She gave me an odd sort of look, shaking her head at the same time.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it. All three damaged cars have been towed and gone for a while already. The detritus of the two collisions is likewise gone. Swept up, picked up, and gone. Both bodies are also long gone. They were the first to go. The sidewalk in front of the hotel has been scrubbed clean by a woman with a bucket and a scrubbing brush. No blood, no body. The police tape was taken down as soon as the bodies were driven away in the ambulances. All police units went with them when they left, it was like a parade.

  The only ones who stayed were the Lieutenant Haschy guy, and the car our ‘Smith’ came in. When ‘Smith’ left the hotel, he and Haschy spoke for maybe a minute, that’s it. Then they both left, each in their own cars.” I interrupted at that point.

  “Did the driver of ‘Smith’s car ever get out from behind the wheel, that you were able to see?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, then?”

  “What it looks like now, is probably what it looks like all the time. A normal street, cars driving by at random intervals, some stopping to park, then going into the shops. Then coming out of the shops, getting back in their cars, and driving away. There’s some pedestrian traffic, but it’s light, and mostly women, some with children, some without. It’s like it never happened.”

  “That’s normal for an incident in Zurich. They clean up fast. The only odd part would be that we’re still free to roam around at will. But we know why that is, don’t we? Immunity is a wonderful thing, so let’s not waste it. I’m going to get Romero to get us a driver, one we can trust. We’re leaving now, and I mean within two minutes. Watch the door while I’m in the hall.”

  With that I opened the door just wide enough to see Romero’s back. He was busy looking up and down the hallway. First to the left, then to the right, then to the left… well I guess that picture was fairly clear. I stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind me as I did.

  Romero spun around and practically saluted.

  “There has been no people coming up or going down Mr. Claxton, sir!”

  “That was a job well done Romero, now tell me, does Herr Schuler still drive his taxi these days?”

  “Oh, yes sir, Mister Claxton. He is still the best taxi man in all of Dietikon.”

  “Fine. Does his wife…” My memory was getting a bit rusty, it took me a few seconds to come up with her name. “…Caroline, still operate the dispatching for him?”

  “Many things have changed since you were here the last time Mister Claxton
. Herr Schuler has a telephone in his taxi now. Would you like me to call him for you? I know the number.” Romero had always been good with numbers, and there was a note of pride in his voice when he asked. I took out my pocket phone and handed it to him.

  “Okay, Romero. Dial the number, then push the button marked ‘send’, and ask Herr Schuler if he can meet us at the back door of the kitchen in five minutes. Tell him that it’s very important, and that we have four passengers, plus luggage. If he can’t make it in about five minutes, he’s not to come. Do you understand the message?”

  “Yes, Mister Claxton. I will talk with him for you and pass the message just the way you have told me.”

  “Okay then, do it.”

  I stood in the hallway with one eye on each end of the hall, and both ears listening to Romero as he got Schuler on the line. There was a rapid fire exchange of Swiss German, ending on an inquisitive note. Romero asked Schuler to hold on, and turning to me said, “He is asking if the people are important or if they are friends. Shall I say it is you?”

  “No, but say it is for very good friends.”

  Romero put the phone back to his ear and confirmed the status of the client. This was apparently good enough for Schuler, because Romero handed me back the phone, with a big grin on his face.

  “He will be here in five minutes, as you have asked.”

  “Excellent, Romero. Now I want you to get the luggage cart from the suite and get it in place at the kitchen door, then stand and watch that nobody touches anything. Okay?”

  “Yes, sir, Mister Claxton, and I will be very careful with everything.”

  I pulled a bundle of notes from my pocket and held up four twenties and a fifty. All in Canadian dollars.

  “Now, Romero. I know that the kitchen staff will be yelling at you, saying you can’t bring the luggage cart into the kitchen. Give each of them one of these twenties, and then give the Sous-Chef this fifty.” I handed them to Romero, who took a few seconds to consider this, and then said, “I think that will be fine for the staff, Mister Claxton, but the Chef DeMarco, well, he is the number one in the kitchen, and he does not take orders from anyone, especially the guests. You know how he is, I think.”